Tobacco feed for cigarette machines



Jan. 27, 1942. c. ARELT TOBACCO FEED FOR CIGARETTE MACHINES Filed April 15, 1937 INVENTOM W A TORNEY u l I a u m Patented Jan. 27, 1942 TOBACCO FEED FOR CIGARETTE MACHINES Charles Arelt, Richmond Hill, N. Y., assignor to American Machine & Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application April 15, (1937, Serial No. 137,021

11 Claims.

This invention relates to cigarette machines, and more particularly to mechanisms for feeding tobacco to the cigarette forming devices thereof.

It has been found that when tobacco is picked from pin rollers or fed from conveyors and allowed to fall into a chute which discharges into the rod forming mechanism, the inequalities will result, reflect in the finished cigarettes, and cause differences in Weight and imperfect cigarettes unless some means are devised for controlling the tobacco as it is being fed to the cigarette forming mechanism.

According to this invention means have been devised for exerting a positive control upon the tobacco from the time it issues from the carding rollers of the feeding device until it is ejected into the chute. By means of this mechanism the tobacco is prevented from encountering the disturbing influences which are customarily encountered in a feed mechanism in which picker rollers tear the tobacco from feed rolls and allow it to fall in a more or less uneven mass into the forming elements.

According to this invention the tobacco as it issues from the carding rollers is fed to a member which compacts it into a layer of substantially uniform density and feeds it to a point where the advance portions are separated from the uniformly compacted layer and allowed to fall into the chute leading to the cigarette former. While the separating mechanism may partake of several forms, in the illustrated embodiments a plurality of types are shown in which rollers having spaced pins or spaced bars or combinations of pins and bars are used. These co-operate with a channel member to effect the separation mentioned above.

It is an object of the invention, therefore, to provide mechanism which will control the feed of cigarette tobacco from the time it leaves the card rollers until it is ejected into the chute leading to the rod forming mechanism.

It is a further object to provide a device in which the tobacco is led beneath a member which will feed it to a point of delivery and also compact it to a mat of uniform density and cross section.

It is a further object to provide means for separating sections from the tobacco advanced by the compacting roller in which the sections will be cut off and will fall more or less intact upon the traveling cigarette web. In certain types of separating members it is proposed to feed the sections cut from the advancing mat beneath the compacting and feeding roller to the moving cigarette web in such timed relation that the tobacco layers on the web will be brought to required thickness by a plurality of laminations of tobacco sections. It is therefore an added object to provide a separating device having means for forming substantial unbroken sections from the tobacco fed over the channel, and deposit them in the cigarette forming mechanism, in a predetermined relationship to effect a more perfect cigarette formation.

It is an added object of the invention to provide a tobacco feed in which the chief feeding member consists of a roller having a fluted, knurled or otherwise interrupted face which acts as feeding surface and also as a compacting member. The surface of this member holds the tobacco layer or mat in place laterally as it propels it over a surface from the edge of which the advancing portion of the layer is removed, and is allowed to move directly into the cigarette rod forming mechanism.

It is an additional object to furnish a tobacco feeding mechanism which will overcome the existing difficulties now encountered in cigarette machines by the inclusion of means which will control the feed of tobacco by forming it into a uniform mat or carpet and exert a positive hold upon said mat at a point where the leading edge portions thereof are to be separated from the mat and directed into the cigarette forming machine.

The invention also consists in the provision of means for controlling the thickness of the mat of tobacco being directed into the cigarette machine. This is accomplished by mounting the tobacco feeding and compressing member for adjustment vertically so that the desired thickness can be readily determined and secured.

()ne form of the invention also contemplates the provision of means for maintaining a substantially continuous sheet of tobacco upon an inclined feeding surface at a definite thickness, and thereby preventing the formation of uneven portions across the tobacco sheet fed over the surface.

The invention also consists in the provision of members located alongside the ends of the element which feeds and compacts the tobacco so that a seal is formed at said ends, and danger of tobacco leaking out adjacent the element is eliminated.

With these and other objects not specifically mentioned in view, the invention consists of certain constructions and combinations shown and described in the accompanying specification and drawing, and specifically set forth in the accompanying claims hereunto appended.

In the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of this specification, and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts:

Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of the tobacco delivery of a cigarette machine tobacco feed, showing the principle of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the compacting and picker rollers on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing the coaction of the delivery rollers;

Fig. 3 is a partial front elevation of the compacting roller on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the means employed for sealing the delivery channel;

Fig. 3a is a sectional view on line 3a-3a showing the arrangement of the combs in their ad justable frame;

Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevation similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified arrangement of the delivery channel; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional side elevation of a tobacco delivery showing still another modification of the delivery channel.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the tobacco layer '1' is fed from carding drums of conventional construction, similar to drum 2'! by picker roller 28 in a loose shower onto plate 6 which extends to a point adjacent the drum and beneath a plurality of spaced comb members, hereinafter described, into a concave channel formed by a casting l to which side plates 8 are fixed near its ends, the discharge edge of this channel con stituting the entrance of the delivery chute of the cigarette machine. The plate 6 above referred to, in one form of tobacco feed is resiliently supported by means of vertical elastic strips ii and is thrown into rapid diagonal vibrations of short amplitude by an electric vibrator which may be similar to that shown in copending application No. 39,563, filed September '7, 1935, by C. F. Randolph, corresponding to the French Patent 810,387, or other suitable device, attached to it by a bracket it and an adjustable screw H. The plate 6 has side flanges B to which extension strips l2 are fastened so as to bear against the inner faces of the side plates 8 of the channel 1 thereby sealing the movable roller Hi between the plate and the channel and thereby insuring that all the tobacco will be directed into the chute. Plate 6 and channel I are substantially of the samev width as the carding drums of the tobacco feed, and associated with the plate are comb members which cooperate therewith to render the tobacco layer T advanced by it of as uniform a height as possible.

Directly above the concave channel 7, and preferably concentric with its concavity is mounted a traveling compacting and feeding member which in the embodiments shown consists of a horizontal shaft [3 carrying a roller it, the roughened, ridged or indented periphery of which is suitably fluted or toothed to enable it to exert a gripping and prodding action on the tobacco layer T and thereby not only propel it along the channel but at the same time compact and hold it against lateral displacement up to the time the advancing edge projecting over the concave is separated and directed into the chute leading to the cigarette forming devices. While a coarsely knurled surface will serve this purpose to a marked degree, the preferred formation of the roller periphery is that of sharp edged tooth like axial grooves as shown in the drawing.

The even tobacco layer emerging from the forward edge of channel 1 and still held in cohesion by the compacting pressure exerted by the roller as it feeds the layer forward within the channel, is subjected to the stripping action of a separating device, which in the present embodiment consists of a roller It provided with pins 55 or cutter bars a or combinations of both, mounted on a horizontal shaft H in the delivery chute of the tobacco feed. If the roller is provided with pins I5 they may be secured thereto in a number of ways such as positioning them around its periphery in spaced horizontal rows or in spiral rows in which they are axially advanced by a distance less than the diameter of the pins and preferably by about one-half that diameter, so that the pins in the successive rows completely overlap each other and in each revolution of the roller sweep every point of the channel edge, thereby converting the even tobacco layer T into a uniform tobacco stream T discharging into the chute 18. The latter extends over the entire width of the channel and is attached to channel member I by means of a transverse strip I9 fixed to the same. It may be noted that the ends of the plates 8 project from the channel sufficiently to confine the separated edge portions of the mat within the path of the separator pins or bars.

The shaft I3 is supported in adjustable bearings 39 and is rotated by a gear 2! connected with the drive of the machine. A sprocket 2 2 on shaft l3, by means of chain 23, drives a sprocket 24 on shaft I! of separating roller Hi which is supported in bearings 25 and which function to separate the leading edge from the advancing tobacco layer. In the embodiment in which pins alone are shown, the pins are mounted equidistantly on axial keys 26 which are imbedded into the surface of roller t6, each succeeding key being advanced axially by an amount such that the advance times the number of rows is equal to the distance between the pins in each row. Thus, in Fig. 4 the pins in each of the six rows are set three diameters apart and the successive rows are advanced by /2 pin diameter each, six rows times 'pin diameter advance being equal to three diameters pin distance. In Figs. 1 and 2 pins [5 and cutter bars 15a are shown mounted on roller Hi. In Fig, 5 roller it has been provided with cutter bars only. In these figures the separating elements are spaced about apart on the periphery. However, any desired angular spacing may be used.

In order to control the thickness of the mat and maintain a proper compression as it is fed over channel 1, means are provided for vertically adjusting the position of roller l4. Slidable bearing blocks 39 are mounted for movement in the side frames of the machine and are provided with set screws 4| which coact with blocks 39 supporting bearings 25 for moving them into adjusted position. Lock nuts Ma secure screws i in adjusted position.

In the feeding mechanism shown in Fig. 1, it has been found that tobacco thrown from the feed drums onto plate 6 may have a tendency to form into lateral waves and cause a nonuniform mat to be formed as the tobacco is fed by roller Hi to the concave. In order to effectively prevent this formation a series of parallel vertical vanes or combs 42 fixed to bars 13 are adjustably mounted over plate 6. Bars 43 are provided with slotted angle ends (see Fig. 3a) which engage with the side walls 40 of the tobacco feed mechanism and are adjustably secured thereto by screws 44. The vanes or combs 42 are thin sheet members spaced a short dis tance apart and provide a plurality of spaced surfaces which even up the flow of tobacco over the table 6, and insure that an even mat of tobacco will be fed to the feed roller l4. As the tobacco mat issues from roller l4 and concave 1, pins l5 contact the advance portions and separate it over the edge of the concave. Very quickly thereafter, cutter bar |5a comes into play and cuts off the next portion of the mat advanced over the concaves edge, and also removes any particles that may not have been separated by the pins. The number of pins and bars may be varied. That is, under some conditions it may be found desirable to use but a single cutter bar l5a, or a single row of pins l5 and a bar [5a, or two pairs of pin rows and bars 180 apart.

In another form of tobacco feed, the tobacco T from the feed drum 21, Fig. 4, is thrown by a picker roller 28 upon a feed belt 29 running over rollers 38] and 3|, the belt 29 carrying the tobacco layer to the concave of member I. The latter, in this case is formed with an additional cut out portion 32 for the reception of the belt roller 3|, so that the entering edge of this portion acts both as a tobacco guide surface and as a stripper for the belt 29, and the tobacco layer '1 is carried without spillage into and through the channel by broken surface roller l4. As it emerges from the front edge of the channel, the pins I5 of the separating roller 16 convert the tobacco layer or mat T into a uniform stream T which thereupon falls into the chute l8 for delivery to the cigarette rod making mechanism.

A modification of the belt transferred tobacco delivery is shown in Fig. 5. The belt 29a is guided by a wedge shaped transverse strip 33 and by a small roller 34 around a smooth roller 35 mounted on shaft I3. It can be seen that the belt 29a will feed the tobacco layer forward into the concave part of channel 1 where it will be compacted to proper density as it is fed through the concave portion of channel 1 to the discharge edge where the removing members [5a carried by roller I6 come into action and separate the advancing edge of the mat. When using this modification the surface of the belt takes the place of the knurled parts, or fluting in the roller l4 and functions to feed and compress the tobacco to the proper density and volume. The channel 1 for this arrangement is extended around roller 35 to the top thereof where it abuts the circumference of a continuously driven roller 36 mounted on a horizontal shaft 3'! at such height above shaft 13 as to guide the tobacco layer T on belt 29a into the channel and at the same time to act as a compressor for the tobacco, leveling the same into a perfectly even layer which on its emergence from the channel is transformed by the separating roller I6 into a uniform stream T discharging into the delivery chute iii.

A stripper 38 prevents dust and foreign particles from being carried under belt 29 on roller 3| in Fig. 4 or roller 35 in Fig. 5, thereby avoiding lumps which would interfere with its passage along concave 32 in Fig. 4, or with the pins of the picker roller in Fig. 5 respectively.

The various means referred to may be varied in construction within the scope of the claims,

for the particular devices selected to illustrate the invention are but a few of the many possible concrete embodiments of the same. The invention is not, therefore, to be restricted to the precise details of the structure shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. In a tobacco feed mechanism, a concave, a conveyor for feeding tobacco to said concave, a rotating roller having a ridged surface roller coacting with said concave to engage the tobacco passing into said concave, form a layer of tobacco of uniform density therein, and advance it to an edge of said concave for delivery to a discharge chute, and cutting means for separating strips of substantially uniform width from said tobacco layer as it advances over the edge of said concave from said roller.

2. In a tobacco feed for cigarette machines, a channel member provided with a concave, means for advancing tobacco in a continuous layer to said concave, a rotatable roller located above and concentric with said concave, said roller having a regularly broken surface for compacting and feeding the layer of tobacco over said concave, and means adjacent the discharge edge of said concave for alternately picking and cutting off the leading edge of said layer and allowing the same to fall as substantially unbroken sections into means feeding into said machine.

3. In a tobacco feed for cigarette machines, a channel member provided with a concave, a vibrating surface for advancing tobacco in a continuous layer to said concave, a rotatable roller located above and concentric with said concave, said roller having a broken surface for compacting and feeding the entire sheet of tobacco over said concave, means adjacent the discharge edge of said concave for severing the leading edge of said layer, and means for adjusting the roller to and from said concave to control the thickness of layer of tobacco passing thereover.

4. In a tobaccofeeding mechanism, a member having a surface over which tobacco is fed, a movably mounted conveyor for feeding tobacco to said member, means for vibrating said conveyor to effect a feed of tobacco in a layer to said member, a roller having a compressing and feeding surface located directly above said member and acting to compress tobacco moving thereover into a mat of uniform density and feed said mat over said member to a point of discharge, and a plurality of comb elements located above said conveyor for constraining the tobacco to move thereon in a layer of substantially uniform thickness.

5. In a tobacco feed, a channel member provided with a surface located to receive tobacco and having a tobacco discharge edge, a conveyor for feeding tobacco on to the surface adjacent said edge, a member coacting with said surface to compact tobacco thereon into a mat of uniform density, and continuously control its feed over said edge, and a rotary separating member located adjacent said edge for continuously separating substantially uniform sections from the mat of tobacco issuing from said edge, said separator including a row of pins and a cutter bar positioned on the periphery of said member in circumferentially spaced relationship thereon. 1

6. In a tobacco feeding mechanism, a member having a surface over which tobacco is fed, a movably mounted conveyor for feeding tobacco to said member, means for vibrating said conveyor toeffect a feed'of tobacco in a layer to said member, adevice located directly above said member and acting to compress tobacco positioned thereon into a mat of uniform density and feed said mat over said member to a point of discharge, a plurality of comb elements spaced from said conveyor for maintaining a layer of substantially uniform thickness, means for mounting elements in spaced relation, and means for adjustably securing said means above said conveyor.

7. In a cigarette-tobacco feed, an endless conveyor, a drum over which said conveyor travels, a concave member partly enclosing said conveyor and drum, a roller mounted vertically above said drum and cooperating therewith for guiding and compacting tobacco fed by said conveyor into said concave, and a member for separating uniform sections from the advancing edge of said compacted tobacco, said member including a cutter bar affixed thereto.

8. In a cigarette tobacco feed, the combination with a tobacco guiding surface, of a rotating compressing roller, a concave partly encircling said roller, and coacting therewith to feed and compact tobacco fed thereto from said surface, a roller located adjacent said concave, and a cutter bar positioned axially on said roller coacting with an edge of said concave to separate tobacco,

in separate uniform sections from the compacted tobacco layer issuing from said roller and concave.

9. The combination with a tobacco feeding channel member, of a rotating ridged surface roller located above said member, and plates mounted on said channel adjacent the ends of said roller to effect a seal against leakage of tobacco fed over said channel.

10. In a tobacco feed for cigarette machines,

a concave tobacco guide plate, a conveyor located adjacent thereto and feeding a continuous layer of tobacco onto said plate, a traveling member mounted above said plate, said member having an indented surface for compacting and controlling the feed of said layer over said plate, a chute positioned below said member, and a r0- tary separating element including an elongated bar mounted thereon, said bar being adapted to separate the edge portions from the layer as it is advanced from said plate and member and direct it into said chute.

11. In a cigarette tobacco feed, the combination with a channel for a mat of tobacco having inlet and outlet ends and having a guide surface along which said mat may travel, of a traveling compressing and feeding member spaced from and opposed to said surface to compress and feed the mat of tobacco along said surface to maintain the same gripped between the feeding member and said surface at the outlet end thereof, a planar feed table mounted for vibratory movement and having one edge positioned adjacent the inlet end of said channel, mechanism for delivering tobacco on to said table, tobacco confining means arranged in a plane spaced above and cooperating with said table to confine the tobacco thereon to a predetermined height, and mechanism transmitting vibratory movement to said table in a forward direction toward the inlet end of said channel and in an upward direction toward said confining means to feed into said channel a continuous uniform mat of tobacco, a chute and devices adjacent the outlet end of the channel for separating tobacco from the for ward edge of said mat and delivering it into said chute.

CHARLES ARELT. 

